I actually cant believe I "finished" this without giving up, thats sometimes a problem when u try to do something crossing your knowledge line lol.Anyways, I learned a lot from this <: face shading and stuff, tho the composition doesnt look dat good, Im still learning xD so critiques are always welcome

I really quite like this piece, as it does a superb job in presenting a 'snapshot' of a duel in progress.

Vision: I gave this work 4 stars because while not perfect, it beautifully captures the two personalities one thinks of when they know the characters involved, Talon and Fiora. Both express the poise one would expect from an assassin and a duelist, yet in subtly different ways.

Talon, for instance, has a demure, almost amused hint in his features that belies his confidence in his skills and where he has set himself up for the final strike. Fiora, on the other hand, has a calm yet almost arrogant expression, as if it was all expected; hence her counter of Talon's blade. Because both characters are able to outsmart and outplay their opponents, their faces portray their respective skill-sets.

Justified bravado defines a duelist who can see her opponent's moves and counter at the proper time; amusement comes from a skilled assassin who can move unseen, and trick his opponents into their demise.

Originality: The most unique League pieces are those that capture the combat or characters in motion instead of statically posed, and this does so marvelously.

Technique: As noted earlier, the expressions are suitable and believable. The lighting and shadow do wonders to set the moment up, with Fiora in the light fighting Talon halfway in the darkness of his own cloak.

The lighting effects on the metal breastplate and metal weapons are also particularly well done. They do not have the facade of sparking, polished weaponry that has seemingly never been used until that moment.

Impact: One of the best ways a work of art literally catches the eye is through how the viewers gaze can 'travel' through the frame. Starting in the upper left, the view follows Talon's cloak to the edge of his cloak-blades in the bottom left, then travels up the dueling foil to his final right forearm short-sword.

The lighting helps as well, with deeper shadows drawing the gaze to the right, then watching the metal brightening as the focus moves towards the final blade.

The only things that seems to detract from these effects is the actual positioning of the final forearm blade itself. It was not until I utilized the motion of my gaze that I realized the blade was his larger weapon, not a cloak dagger. Once realized, the different in color and lighting became apparent, but that highlighted another rather odd impression that his right arm was too long, and would have to be at an awkward angle to achieve that degree of strike.

From the way Talon is positioned and how well the cloak and blades flowed throughout the piece, the final blade was almost expected to be angled upward, especially considering Fiora appears to be blocking the horizonal motion of his strike that moved towards her throat, not blocking a downward blade thrust. A slash from behind would likely be aimed at her throat from a horizontal position relative to her own stance, which is tilted slightly sideways.

Overall, the motion cements the immediacy of the attack depicted, and gives a sense of speed and dexterity to both combatants in the image. It successfully defines the tense, quick, yet calm and confident duel between the two in the midst of a pitched fight or battle.